Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a node (e.g., a transmission station) and a wireless device (e.g., a mobile device). Some wireless devices communicate using orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) in a downlink (DL) transmission and single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) in an uplink (UL) transmission. Standards and protocols that use orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) for signal transmission include the third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard (e.g., 802.16e, 802.16m), which is commonly known to industry groups as WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access), and the IEEE 802.11 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as WiFi.
In 3GPP radio access network (RAN) LTE systems, the node can be a combination of Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node Bs (also commonly denoted as evolved Node Bs, enhanced Node Bs, eNodeBs, or eNBs) and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs), which communicates with the wireless device, known as a user equipment (UE). The downlink (DL) transmission can be a communication from the node (e.g., eNodeB) to the wireless device (e.g., UE), and the uplink (UL) transmission can be a communication from the wireless device to the node.
A core network (CN), or network core, can be a central part of a telecommunication network that provides various services to users who are connected by the radio access network (RAN). One of the functions of core network can be to route a packet from the RAN to the Internet.
The core network can provide high capacity communication facilities that connect primary nodes. Core network (or backbone network) can provide paths for the exchange of information between different sub-networks. For enterprise private networks serving one organization, the high capacity communication facilities can be referred to as the backbone, while for service providers, the high capacity communication facilities can be referred to as the core network.
Telecommunications network can include three parts, or planes: the control plane, the user plane (data plane or bearer plane), and the management plane. The three parts can be referred to as planes because each part can be separate overlay networks. The control plane can carry control information (also known as signaling). The user plane can carry the network's users traffic. The management plane can carry the operations and administration traffic used for network management.
In the 3GPP LTE wireless communication standard, a system architecture evolution (SAE) can use a core network architecture. The SAE can have a flat, all-Internet protocol (all-IP) architecture with separation of control plane and user plane traffic. A main component of the SAE architecture can be the evolved packet core (EPC), or SAE core.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.